Audioengine P4 Passive Bookshelf Speakers - Compact Speakers and Home Music System | 2-Way Powered Speakers (Bamboo)

So I picked up these little Audioengine P4, in bamboo...here's my impressions...First, a quick description of the music system I'm using these in as a point of reference -- power is coming from a Peachtree Audio Decco2, running lossless files from a new iMac -- speakers are these P4s in a small, office based computer set-up. Speakers are placed a couple inches off each end of the the imac.I stumbled upon these little bookshlef speakers from Amazon reviews...most reviewers sung them such high praise, I decided to take a chance on them, seeing that I had 30 days from Amazon to return them if I was disappointed -- prior to discovering them, I was strongly considering gettig some B & W 685s or something to that extent.First, the build quality as others have noted, is exceptionally nice -- perfectly finsihed, these speakers are not light weight junk plastic, but housed in solid bamboo which feel and look to be handsome, quality product. The silk tweeter and 4" kevlar woofer are well engineered -- no imperfections or defects to comment on. The rear cable inputs are also done well with also no imperfections or faulty pieces.Ultimately, you can have a speaker that appears fantastic on the outside, but when you hear the music, the romance suddenly stops -- not so with these; they sound as beautiful as they look -- truely impressive!I have a pair of floorstanding B&W CMs, and with the exception of obviously producing larger, more bassier sound, these little guys with the combo I described earlier do just as well, if not in some aspects better.They have a tremendous soundstage for being so small, and can easily fill a smaller room full of music. As with other good speakers, these tend to disappear and you find yourself engulfed in sweet sound without a specific reference point of where the speaker is placed or where the music is coming from -- a sign of a quality speaker -- your awareness is overtaken by the fullness of sound these produce. They speakers maintain their clarity at all but the highest of volumes. If anything, the space in which I've placed them is a bit tight, and they would probably benefit from being spaced further apart to expand the soundstage.The mids these produce are very nice and lush...singers' voices sound fantastic and up front, and highs are high, but not shrill or harsh. Instrument separation & placement are also all fantasic -- on good recordings with multiple layers of instruments, these can reproduce a stunning amount of clarity, precision & detail. Again, I was very impressed -- maybe it's the amp their coupled with (the Decco2 which is just super as well), but altogether, I don't think you'll find a better passive speaker for right around 3 bills...if you do, please let me know!If B & W would place their logo on these, these could go for as much as their CM line bookshelf speakers which run close to $1k.Highly recommend!!! In my opinion, easily one of the best sounding bookshelfs (in this size) in this price range, and can easily compete with more expensive speakers which cost 3 to 4 times as much. Give them a shot -- your ears will thank you!

Before buying these speakers I wasn't sure what I was getting. Audioengine made some lofty claims about their build quality and after trying out the A5 active speakers I was a bit dubious. They really did win me over though, and here's why:Sound: By far the most important thing when you're dropping $250 for a set of speakers. If you want studio-monitor neutrality, these aren't for you. Having said that, I never heard any noticeable shift in volume depending on the fequency. Especially compared to KEF (which have dips in response prominent enough it sounds like you suddenly turned down the volume) they were solid. Comparing them to NHT Superzero 2.0's, they didn't embarass themselves in regards to neutrality.More importantly, these things rocked! They can be pushed to high enough volume to fill a moderately sized room without distortion. They are extremely musical, and it was hard to tear myself away from the sofa listening to (especially rock) music... finally a speaker designed with music in mind.Bass extension was very surprising. They are listed as barely dipping into the upper 50 hz range. Paired with the N22 and taking into account their front ports though, I firmly believe they play lower than their specs indicate. One caveat being I definitely think this boost in the lower end, which was nice and tight rather than boomy, is the result of engineering the N22 and the A4's to compliment each other. A subwoofer is not absolutely mandatory (though a good idea).The only area I thought they fell short compared to other great speakers in their price range was detail. These aren't just loudspeakers but I could not hear the subtle sounds that some other models brought out in my lossless files+dac music set-up.Build: The only thing I have to say is watch the tweeters.. and even they seem about as durable as a speaker's most delicate part can get. The kevlar woofers? You could go so far as to push on them with a finger, and they feel VERY scratch resistant.The cabinents are well made and I don't imagine them showing wear & tear easily. Combined with the included dampening pads they are very non-resonant and sturdy. The gold inputs are icing on the cake... its virtually impossible to find that kind of quality signifier below $400.They are also MUCH smaller than I thought. Although they perform like real bookshelf speakers, their size is more comparable to some satellite speakers than any full fledged bookshelf speaker. Definitely something that'll blend in easily wherever you put them, and helps with imaging.I heavily recommend these speakers if you don't have some elaborate set-up to bring out the tiny details in music (or if you are more concerned with rocking out than quietly picking out notes). They're also quite portable... very easy to travel with in a small bag if you want to bring good sound with you on a vacation.

Bought the P4's ( Bamboo finish ) Set everything up and let them break in a bit.Just some notes.They do sound pretty good, but for the price, there are much better options for sound quality.Zero Bass, and you NEED a sub for these to even out.You won't be blown away by the sound, but they do look very nice, and have a very nice finish and solid build. Highs are nice and clean, but if you use them without a sub, you will be wanting to buy a sub unit very soon.They won't fill a big room full of sound, but will make a great set up for a smaller room, office, or computer use.If you buy these, realize you're paying a bit of a premium for the nice looks, expect these to sound like $250 speakers that they really are ( the cheaper finished p4's ), and not the $350 that you're paying for the bamboo finish.ONLY buy these if you absolutely want the bamboo ones, otherwise, just buy the black/white P4's or some other speakers in the price range of the bamboo P4's ( or better yet, the b/w P4's and a sub )